Los Gatos, Japanese students come together

Photograph by George Sakkestad
Reiko Iwanaga, teacher/choreographer of San Jose Obon Odori teaches a Japanese dance during a cultural event held in conjuntion with a japanese student exchange program at Los Gatos High School. The March 24 cultural event that was held at the Los Gatos Adult Recreation Center and brought Japanese and Los Gatos High students together to learn about food and festivals, with hands-on activities such as learning to use chop sticks and making origami cherry blossoms.

As Californians we are all well versed on the dangers of living in earthquake country, but the deadly events of March 11, 2011--when a 9.0 quake and a 23-foot tsunami struck eastern Japan--are beyond most Californian's comprehension. That's the reason why 23 Japanese high school students visited Los Gatos earlier this week and why 23 Los Gatos High School students are heading to Japan this summer.

The student exchange is sponsored by the Japanese government, which is picking up all expenses under the auspices of its Kakehashi Project, also known as the Bridge for Tomorrow.

"After the earthquake, I think some people stayed away from Japan, so the government wants to promote Japan more," Los Gatos High School Japanese teacher Kaori McDaniel said. "It also gives their youngsters an opportunity to see what's out there and be connected with kids in other parts of the world."

McDaniel helped arrange the student exchange through her position as president of the California Association of Japanese Language Teachers. She was also instrumental in organizing a March 24 cultural event that was held at the Los Gatos Adult Recreation Center. It brought the students together to learn about food and festivals, with hands-on activities such as learning to use chopsticks and making origami cherry blossoms.

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But there was also talk about the earthquake and tsunami. For instance, there's a traditional Japanese dish called Shimimochi that's most often made in the winter. It's usually placed outside overnight, but one student said that doesn't happen anymore because of radiation that was released when the tsunami hit the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. But despite ongoing impacts, the students said eastern Japan is slowly returning to normal.

There are 180 Los Gatos High School students enrolled in Japanese language classes, several of whom hosted the Japanese students during their visit. Los Gatos High senior Laura Thapa, for example, hosted Kaho Hirano.

"It's been surprisingly easy to communicate," Laura said. "Her English is better than my Japanese, but it's worked well. We've talked about places we've traveled, college and other things we have in common. She's been able to talk to my parents, too."

LGHS junior Keats Iwanaga said she's learning Japanese because she's a fifth generation Japanese-American. "For me it's important to learn the language and culture," Keats said. "It's hard to learn the language because you have to learn a whole new alphabet. But once you get in the swing of things it pays off. We started with writing to learn the alphabet, so every word we learn we also write."

But speaking was what the cultural exchange was all about, as well as visiting "exotic" locales outside of Los Gatos. "I went to San Francisco yesterday," a beaming Minori Nakamaru said. "I felt the different culture in America. I [am having a] good time."